Mission

PATHSTAR is committed to inspiring and revitalizing sustainable health and well-being practices within Native American communities by providing experiential learning opportunities.

Vision

Imagine Native Americans, both on and off reservations, living healthy lives of meaning and purpose, reclaiming the best of indigenous practices, augmenting these with the cultivation of wholesome ‘new traditions’ and serving as a catalyst for inspiring self-reliance and optimism among families and communities. Imagine individuals and families demonstrating the resourcefulness that grows from the experience of having personally met challenges and accomplished goals while embracing their cultural values and wisdom and contributing to education and community development. Imagine the incidence of diabetes and heart disease among Native populations being as low as it was when the Northern Plains Indians were regarded as the healthiest in the world. Imagine support systems strong enough that individuals, families and communities meet adversity with dignity and self-reliance.

That is the PATHSTAR vision..

Method

We do this through our intensive week-long educational and experiential San Francisco-based Alcatraz swim program, through support and advocacy in overcoming geographic, economic, and political obstacles regarding food availability, eating habits, methods of food preparation, and lifestyle choices in Native American communities, and through programs leading to mentoring and role modeling that reinforce the benefits of meeting challenges and inspiring healthy change.